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Home , Girdle, Girdling, Quarter sawing

The Volume 27

Issue 3

Fall 2016

OverstoryNew York Owners Association Southeastern Adirondack Chapter

To or to Fell–That is the Question? By Peter Smallidge, NYS Extension and Director of the Cornell University Arnot Teaching and Research Forest

There are some situations in our woodlot or sugarbush when you might want to prevent a tree from competing with its neighbors for sunlight, but you don’t want to fell the tree. Killing the competing tree is often done by girdling, but there are several factors to consider. Girdling trees is the process where you disrupt the living connection between the and the , usually by cutting or chopping away the outer and the inner bark or cambium. Technically you sever the , or the , that carries the products of photosynthesis from the leaves to the roots. Therefore, girdling starves the roots of the tree and the tree will die over a year or more of time. In some situations girdling trees can be effective and useful, while in other situations, one would be better off the same trees. The costs and benefits of girdling and felling should be weighed out on a tree-by-tree basis. Here I provide some to help you decide which method of killing trees would work best for your particular situation. Whether you girdle or fell, you will want to take all reasonable safety precautions and follow the label specifications if you use herbicides. There are some situations when it may be advantageous to girdle. First, you may want to kill a large tree that is shadowing a group of small trees. Often this large tree is a former pasture or field tree with a large spreading crown. It has no merchantable value, but does have value as a large woody structure if you could leave it standing but reduce its shade impact on the younger surrounding stems. Felling the tree would likely damage many of the smaller stems. In this case, girdling will retain the tree for its wildlife value and prevent or reduce the damage to smaller stems when the large tree finally does come down. A second situation might be if the stand is very dense and the crowns are interlocking. Here, trying to fell would be complicated by the support the retained stems give to the cut stems. A felling cut would result in a “hung tree” requiring great work and added risk to bring it to the ground. Finally, you may want to leave some trees as dead stems for use by birds, such as peckers or birds that require cavities for nesting. Girdling can reduce the competition of the girdled tree with living trees and retain some of its wildlife potential. Triple girdle with a chain . Girdling can be accomplished with an , a , a flame torch, and Note: the bark has died away. Continued on page 2

ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS

INSIDE Welcome New Members! Adirondack Stumpage • Annual Picnic & Woodswalk Scott Prosser, New York, NY Price Report • Remember When: Coltsfoot William VanGorp, Olmsteadville, NY New York State Deptartment of • Upcoming Events Environmental Conservation • NYFOA Silent Auction www.dec.ny.gov/lands/5259.html • Volunteer Thank You The Overstory Page 2

To Girdle or to Fell, continued from page 1 member’s corner

Shared by Jane Jenks Dark By Robert Service

If my life-force, by death decree, Could find green haven in a tree, And there in peace untroubled years Could dream, immune from toil and tears, Though I’m a lover of all trees I would not favour one of these…..

I would not chose a brittle palm Beside a sea of senile calm; Or droopily adream Double chain saw girdle. Above bright babble of a stream. No cypress would inhibit me herbicides applied to the axe or saw cut or directly to the stem. With dark and dour austerity; The primary disadvantage of girdling is that you are creating a hazard in Nor olive, shattering the light, the . When you fell a tree it becomes stable once it hits the ground. Nor poplar, purple in the night. A girdled tree will die in place and will fall at some undetermined time. The sanctuary of my search Thus, you would not want to girdle in areas that are used frequently or if you Would not be , nor ash, nor : intend to have a commercial harvest in the next 10 to 15 years. In fact, under Ah no! Their comfort I decline, OSHA (US Dept. of Labor – Occupational Safety and Health Administration) Let my life-force pervade a Pine. guidelines for loggers {rule 1910.266(h)(1)(vi)}, danger trees be felled in the work area or work must be conducted more than 2 tree lengths away Aye, when my soul shall sally forth from a danger tree. A woodlot full of recently girdled trees would create Let it be to the naked North, a significant and justifiable level of concern among someone working in And in a lone pine desolate that area. A second reason not to girdle is because the death of the tree can Achieve its fit and final fate; sometimes extend over several years. If your management objective needs a A pine by arctic tempest torn, more timely response, simply girdling may not be sufficient. Further, some Snow-scourged, wind-savaged and forlorn; tree and some species, like and many , are notoriously difficult A Viking trunk, a warrior tree, to kill by girdling. They often have an in-rolled strip of bark that isn’t A hostage to dark destiny affected by the girdle. In these cases, even thorough girdling doesn’t kill the Of iron earth and icy sky, tree for several years. Third, girdling often takes as much time to complete That valiantly disdains to die. as felling by someone who is skilled with a saw. Fourth, some tree roots will graft underground with neighboring trees. In those cases, if a herbicide is There is the home where I would hide, applied to the tree, the herbicide may translocate to the adjacent residual tree If trees like men had souls inside, with unfortunate results. Finally, dead wood on the ground has as much if not Which is, of course, a fantasy more ecological value as standing dead wood. None could conceive but dolts like me… An often describe, but I think infrequent event, is the damage created Let others vision Heaven’s gate, by a tree that was previously girdled. Certainly a dead tree that falls selects Dark Pine, I dream for me you wait. a direction based on its own interpretation of the laws of physics; whereas directional felling of live trees can control the location where the stem lands. This member’s corner is open to anyone willing In my observation, dead trees typically fall in sections or as large pieces to share something with the other members. rather than as an entire stem. Thus, there is minimal or no damage associated Submissions can be mailed or emailed to with the break-up of a girdled stem. In some situations, a girdle made Kristie Edwards at [email protected] by a chainsaw may be deeper than necessary and weaken the strength of the or 411 Beech Street, Mayfield, NY 12117. stem. In these cases, the tree is still alive, but destabilized and must endure winds with a full leafy . These trees often fall intact. To girdle or to fell – that is the question. The answer depends on the use you plan at the location where you are working, your skill with a saw or axe, and the objectives that you have for the stand. But regardless of whether you girdle or fell, you will want to take all reasonable safety precautions and follow the label specifications if you use herbicides. Think, be safe, and have fun. www.NYFOA.org Page 3 Coltsfoot: A Soft Soothing Step By Dr. Jane Sorensen Lord @ Reprinted from the NYFOA Forest Owner Sept/Oct. 1993

“You know about herbs, don’t you? puff up and blow away and the leaves come out. You’re an herbalist?” Leaves grow on individual reddish stalks, maybe 10-12” from REMEMBER Tim Noga of the Cayuga County the ground. In good conditions, the leaves grow saucer-size and WHEN Federation of Conservation Clubs spoke look like a hoof print from a Clydesdale rather than a colt. They on the hoof while exiting the County’s are dark green on top and downy greenish-white on the bottom. Environmental Management Council They feel like fine, thin soft leather that you want to smoother Meeting. over your cheek (and should). I turned to face him, “I’m supposed to know. I’m a The fresh or the fresh leaves can be used for coughs naturopathic doctor. But there are so many. And each book says and sore throat. Simmer one cup of torn crushed plant in two different things. I try.” cups of water. Reduce by half a cup, strain and you should have “Do you know about Coltsfoot?” one cup of extract. Add a cup of , you have cough syrup, “Yes, it’s good for sore throats.” two cups, you can make cough drops. “No I mean for wound healing.” He looked at me earnestly. You can dry the leaves and make tea. Or, like Mullein, “We use it in pieces directly on the open cuts to speed up another preferred plant for respiratory conditions, you can smoke healing. I’m Polish and I think it may be an old Polish remedy, it to clear up mucous. because I’ve always known about it. Tim’s use of Coltsfoot was new to me and short of self- “We tried an experiment some time ago. A friend had mutilation I was rearin” to try it. abdominal surgery with a two foot long surgical wound stapled After wearing a part polyester suit and blouse for three days up; it was oozing in spots and he had to change the bandages all in Washington, DC heat and humidity, my armpits had a nasty the time. I told him about Coltsfoot and he wanted to try it. reaction in the form of a raised red, sting rash (bi-lateral axillary “We drove around ‘till we found a good patch. We went dermatitis). My chance was here! And I could even experiment! home; washed, dried, cut it in strips; laid it across half the scar I ran out, picked a large Coltsfoot , washed it, patted and bandaged it. We only did half to see if it made a difference. it dry, then ran over its center with a meat tenderizer (this I saw him the next day and he had covered the whole thing. pierced it but left the shape—just like an arm shield!) I put He said the Coltsfoot made such a difference overnight that he hydrocortisone ointment on the right, then put on an old tee shirt. didn’t want or need to test anymore!” I slid the Coltsfoot leaf under my left arm with the underside Coltsfoot (tussilago farfara) is one of the weeds I introduced next to the skin. to my Tree Farm. In fact I collected it along Route 23 in the Overnight the coltsfoot-side improved observably more than Catskills on the way to the 1992 Annual Spring New York the other. I repeated the same procedure and by the second night Forest Owners Meeting! In early spring, from waste, clay soils the Coltsfoot-side cleared completely. The commercial healing up pops dime size yellow dandelion type flowers on white scaly ointment took three days! stems, similar to Indian Pipe. They grow in clusters connected Thanks Tim! Now I will make a healing oil so I can have by underground creeping stock. After a few weeks they Coltsfoot all year ‘round. Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org Jan Samanek/Phytosanitary Administration/Bugwood.org The Overstory Page 4

Visiting Buttermilk Hill Farm By Joe Tennyson @ Photographs by Larry Burks

A cool, foggy morning on September Our resident member and retired 24th quickly turned into a glorious, sunny state forester, Steve Warne, explained day to remind us all how fortunate we that the two farms could very well have are to live in God’s paradise called the been abandoned in the early part of the Adirondacks. century as the great expansion of the west About 30 members and guests of SAC took place. gathered at the home of Joe and Kathy Steve also gave a very insightful Tennyson for a woodswalk and annual explanation of the tax abatement plan picnic at Buttermilk Hill Farm on Art called the Fisher Act and its later version, Tennyson Road in Chestertown. the 480A Plan. Joe stated that his family After a nice repast of coffee, cider and could never have afforded to keep this doughnuts, Joe gave a brief history of land without the foresight of his father’s the farm. He stated that his grandfather enrollment of most of the timber in the bought the farm from a widow in 1919 for Fisher Act. quite a large sum for that time of $2000. We then proceeded to the area The land comprised of about 500 acres where Joe gave a demonstration of the bordering Pack Forest to the south and theory and technique of quarter sawing Top: The Lawson's checking out Joe's saw included two abandoned farms called the of an oak log to expose the beautiful rays mill. Above: Senator Betty Little answers Ben Wood place and the Barrett lot. and grains hidden within the log. questions posed by SAC members. Continued on page 5 www.NYFOA.org Page 5

Coming Events...

February 11th SAC Annual Meeting Crandall Library, Glens Falls Business Meeting begins at 10am Online Presentation by Dick Nason at 2pm “Old Time and River Driving” Trees for Tribs A Program of the State Tree Nursery at Saratoga http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/77710.html February 25th Big Tree Register (rain date March 4th) What is the Big Tree Register? SAC Winter Woodswalk http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/5248.html This event is re-scheduled from last winter, we will hike into the state forest to see unique Young Forest Initiative on 500+ year old Black Gum trees Wildlife Management Areas http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/104218.html Complete details for both events will be available Adirondack Forest Preserve on the NYFOA website, emailed and mailed http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/5263.html as the events come nearer.

Buttermilk Hill Farm, continued from page 4

Chris Gearwar, the forester who worked closely with Joe throughout the Left: Joe Tennyson logging process obtaining their goals of reveals the exposed reforestation, gave a very educational grains of quarter explanation of turning a large acreage sawing an oak log. of very mature pine trees into a new Below: Joe and generation of forest. his forester Chris Joe emphasized several times Gearwar explain the importance of working with a their objective for professional forester to obtain your goals the pine tree cut. for your land. We enjoyed a relaxing barbecue by the pool including a great lunch and fellowship of friends. Chapter member, Senator Betty Little, joined the group for lunch. We enjoyed light conversation with her afterword she spoke briefly about different areas of interest to us that she has been working on. She then answered any questions posed by our members in attendance. We were all pleased to have her join our event. We look forward to future woodswalks and gatherings where we always seem to gain more knowledge and understanding of our beloved woods. The Overstory Page 6 Get Ready for NYFOA Silent Auction 2017 by Dean Faklis

Get ready for some fun while doing some good! NYFOA's Membership Committee has rekindled the tradition of having a silent auction coincident with NYFOA's annual meeting in the springtime. The auction's beneficiaries for 2017 are being selected from worthy forestry- related organizations and events. The rotund list includes several youth programs, scholarships, internships and conservation programs. Choosing will be difficult, but we have our best minds on it and you will certainly be pleased! Stay tuned to www. nyfoa.org and Facebook for details.

Frequently asked questions about the NYFOA Silent Auction: How does it work? Kind and generous members donate items and services and kindred members buy them. All of the proceeds go to the auction's beneficiaries. There is no “auctioneer.” The donations are made available for inspection both in person at the annual 4. Member offers their cottage or condominium to another meeting and online. Prospective buyers place bids either member for a weekend stay. $200-$500. online or in person. The highest bidder is the winner! Payments go directly to NYFOA. When would you like to have the donations in hand? Sooner rather than later! The online portion of the auction will What can I do to help? likely start in February and we'll want to have the items before That's an easy one! You can make a donation and make a then. We'll them as soon as you can provide them! purchase. We're trying to raise $5,000 this year to benefit people that care deeply about woodlands. Is my donation tax deductible? Yes. NYFOA is recognized by the IRS as a 501c3 non-profit What kinds of items and services are welcome? organization. Limitations certainly apply so please check with It's important to have a nice selection of donations across a your accountant beforehand. range of prices. Some members will like to spend $25 and some might like to spend $1,000 to help the beneficiaries. Here are I really like the idea and have more questions, who can some examples, but please don't let this be limiting: help me? 1. Member offers to give a Timberframing Workshop. Me! [email protected].... or feel free to use the auction Participants learn history, materials, tools, techniques. email address: [email protected]. ~20 people, $50 each, $1,000 value. What kind of fun workshop could you provide? I have a few hours to spare over the winter, does the Auction 2. Member offers handcrafted items from their studio or Team need any help? workshop. Wood, glass, metal, paintings, sculptures, etc. Silent auctions are FUN and they really bring the membership $25-$500 value. We love creativity! together to help advance the mission. The Auction Team needs 3. Member donates portable sawmilling services. Perhaps a bit of help before/after the auction and at the auction to help another member will donate time to cut and gather logs the bidders. If you can help, please let us know. The “jobs” are from your woodlot for the sawyer. easy and you'll likely meet some new friends. www.NYFOA.org Page 7

Thanks to our Volunteers!

With the warm weather behind us and winter looming we can take some time to reflect on the busy time that has just passed. Summer was non-stop pace for most of us; we are all so busy with vacation plans, reunions, parties and just enjoying the sun, water and our woodlots. There are those among our chapter that spent numerous hours organizing or working our booth for the Saratoga and Washington County Fairs. They all deserve our thanks! First we want to thank the organizers, for their time spent scheduling workers to staff the booth and also for setting up our display, this is a huge undertaking. Our appreciation goes out to Bill Burke and Jane Jenks for taking the lead again this year. Lou Inzinna deserves our thanks for his role in the set-up of our new TV and video system; it was a big hit and did draw much attention. Last but not least, all the volunteers that worked the booth. Having someone behind the tables to field questions, hand out information or distribute free tree seedlings is so important. An empty booth has no face or voice! So thanks to all the following members for volunteering their time: Ed and Donna Welch, Ethel Lesh, Dave and Jane Jenks, Jack and Gail Phelan, Bob and Tomoko Manning, Peter and Betty Gregory, Eric and Beverly Lawson, Lou and Jean Inzinna, Bill Burke, Kurt and Kristie Edwards, Jill and Larry Burks, Rosemary and Paul Thomas, Tom and Diane Denny, Bob Sheedy, Ruth Anspach, Jim Allen, Bill E. Berle, John Farrar, Ray and Estela Johnson, Chuck Fedler and John and Peg Underwood.

Officer Nominations At our next annual meeting we will have our membership vote for new officers. A nomination committee will be formed to secure candidates for all offices. The position of chair and vice-chair will be open and need to be filled. We welcome and encourage chapter members to get involved with our board operations. All offices are open to any member wishing to become more involved in our organization. We also welcome members to become involved with the steering committee. This could include coordinating events, updating our county fair booths, member education, member recruitment, community outreach, chapter archives, chapter representative to the state organization, etc… Your new ideas and participation are always welcome. If you have interest in any office or committee, please contact Lou Inzinna at (518) 257-2807 or at [email protected] New York Forest Chair: Vacant This edition had been prepared by: Owners Association Vice-Chair: Vacant Kristie Edwards, Editor Jill Burks, Graphic Design Secretary: Bill Burke Treasurer: Bob Manning To submit articles for publication please e-mail Kristie Edwards: [email protected] NYFOA/Southeastern Adirondack Chapter PO Box 541 Kristie Edwards, Editor Lima, NY 14485 411 Beech Street 1-800-836-3566 Mayfield, NY 12117